Volume 155, No. 109 covering the 1st Session of the 111th Congress (2009 - 2010) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PROVIDING FOR NATURAL GAS VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H8364-H8367 on July 20, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PROVIDING FOR NATURAL GAS VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1622) to provide for a program of research, development, and demonstration on natural gas vehicles, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1622
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NATURAL GAS VEHICLE RESEARCH,
DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall conduct a 5-year program of natural gas vehicle research, development, and demonstration. The Secretary shallcoordinate with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as necessary.
(b) Purpose.--The program under this section shall focus on--
(1) the continued improvement and development of new, cleaner, more efficient light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty natural gas vehicle engines;
(2) the integration of those engines into light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty natural gasvehicles for onroad and offroad applications;
(3) expanding product availability by ensuring that technologies researched and developed assist engines and vehicles in meeting Federal and State requirements and standards;
(4) the demonstration and proper operation and use of the vehicles described in paragraph (2) under all operating conditions;
(5) the development and improvement ofnationally recognized codes and standards for the continued safe operation of natural gas vehicles and their components;
(6) improvement in the reliability and efficiency of natural gas fueling station infrastructure;
(7) the certification of natural gas fuelingstation infrastructure to nationally recognized and industry safety standards;
(8) the improvement in the reliability andefficiency of onboard natural gas fuel storage systems;
(9) the development of new natural gas fuelstorage materials;
(10) the certification of onboard natural gas fuel storage systems to nationally recognized and industry safety standards;
(11) the use of natural gas engines in hybridvehicles; and
(12) researching and developing technologies and processes so as to improve and streamline the process by which natural gas conversion systems meet Federal and State requirements and standards.
(c) Cooperation and Coordination WithIndustry.--In developing and carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall coordinate with the natural gas vehicle industry to ensure cooperation between the public and the private sector.
(d) Conduct of Program.--The program under this section shall be conducted in accordance with sections 3001 and 3002 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
(e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide a report to Congress on the implementation of this section.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this section.
(g) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term
``natural gas'' means compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biomethane, and mixtures of hydrogen and methane or natural gas.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.
General Leave
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1622, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan).
There was no objection.
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 1622 was introduced by Mr. Sullivan of Oklahoma and cosponsored by myself, my friends from Texas, Mr. Hall and Mr. Green, my colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren) and a number of other Members that recognize the potential of natural gas as an alternative transportation fuel.
This bill reauthorizes the Department of Energy's research, development and demonstration program in natural gas powered vehicles and related infrastructure. The vehicle fleet of the future will include a diverse range of fuels and vehicle technologies.
Since it is both cleaner than petroleum and domestically available, natural gas will play an important role in a more sustainable transportation sector. Moreover, the estimated domestic reserves continue to grow, indicating that natural gas could play a long-term role in helping to alleviate our dependence on foreign oil.
I support H.R. 1622 and urge its passage.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1622 to provide for a program of research, development and demonstration on natural gas vehicles. I thank my good friend, Congressman John Sullivan from Oklahoma, for introducing this bill, and I'm very proud to be a cosponsor.
H.R. 1622 authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to fund natural gas vehicle research, development and demonstration needs on natural gas vehicles to make them even cleaner, even more efficient, and ease their widespread integration into our current transportation system.
Approximately 98 percent of the natural gas we use in America comes from the United States and Canada, and the Energy Information Agency forecasts that, by 2030, over 98 percent of the natural gas used in America will come from the U.S. alone. Because of recent advancements in technology, the economically recoverable U.S. natural gas resource base has nearly doubled in just the last few years. A recent study concludes that we now have 118 years of natural gas resources right here in America. Doesn't it makes sense that we should be using this abundant, domestic resource to help fuel our transportation needs?
Renewable natural gas can also be produced from any organic waste or energy crop such as switchgrass. It has been conservatively estimated that America could produce 1.2 quadrillion Btus of renewable natural gas, also called biomethane. That is the equivalent of 10 billion gallons of gasoline. And if making biomethane from cellulosic energy crops is considered, the potential is just almost limitless.
Natural gas is affordable, it has an existing distribution infrastructure, it is a proven vehicle fuel, and it is clean.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill that will help increase our energy independence by serving to increase the amount of vehicles on our roads that run on domestic natural gas.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1622, my legislation to reauthorize the natural gas vehicles research, development, demonstration and deployment program within the Department of Energy for 5 years.
I would like to thank Ranking Member Hall and Chairman Gordon and also my colleague from Oklahoma, Dan Boren, for bringing this important legislation to the floor today.
Natural gas is the bridge fuel for decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of oil and putting our Nation on a path to energy security. It is critical that we make a strong effort to incorporate more natural gas vehicles into our transportation fleet. There are more than 150,000 natural gas vehicles on the U.S. roads today and over 10 million world wide. Increased U.S. natural gas vehicle research, development, demonstration and deployment will only increase these numbers if we make the proper investments as my bill does.
Natural gas vehicles are an important part of our national transportation infrastructure. In 2008 alone, natural gas vehicles displaced almost 300 million gallons of petroleum in the United States. In fact, nearly one in five new transit buses on order today is specified to be natural gas powered, proof that we are moving in the right direction.
We also have a proven reserve of natural gas right here in the United States. We have enough known natural gas reserves to last more than a century. As a matter of fact, 98 percent of the natural gas we consume is produced right here in North America. Natural gas is American-made energy.
In addition to our vast supply, we already have a way to get natural gas to the consumer with over 1.5 million miles of natural gas pipeline distribution across the United States. Natural gas vehicles are also better for the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23 percent lower than diesel and 30 percent lower than gasoline. Natural gas vehicles also produce virtually no particulate matter or emissions.
To meet our Nation's energy needs, we must continue to develop alternative and renewable sources of energy. However, we can't shoot the horse we are on until we find a new horse. Natural gas is the bridge fuel for decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of oil and putting our Nation on a path to energy security.
I encourage passage of H.R. 1622 today.
{time} 1430
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to Mr. Olson, the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank my ranking member and friend from Texas for yielding me time to express my support for H. Res. 607, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Like all members of my generation, I remember very well where I was when Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Eagle and into history. But today, as we look back, I offer this question: Where will we be when those next steps are taken on the Moon? For millions of Americans, those steps will be their first chance to witness history.
It is right and fitting that we take this time to honor the men and women of Apollo 11. And I say men and women, because although three brave men were willing to strap themselves on top of a Saturn V rocket, it took the support of thousands of men and women to make their success.
For some, there are questions about why even go back to the Moon? It's true we can't replace Apollo, but we should try. And I don't mean simply at NASA.
First, it boggles the mind that those Apollo journeys, which should have been the beginning of lunar exploration, were the end of them. Budget cuts forced the cancellation of Apollo 18, 19 and 20, and we've been endorsing those cuts ever since.
NASA is on a path to return to the Moon and on to Mars and beyond, but we need the support, both here in Congress and among the general public, for these worthy goals. By exploring, we create jobs, we inspire our youth to go into math and science fields, and we ensure that the aerospace industry, which is currently American-centered and American-dominated, remains that way.
But the lessons of Apollo should not be limited to NASA. It has become cliche for politicians to reference Apollo when talking about our need to create domestic alternatives to solve our energy solutions.
Our Nation wants to rally around a worthy goal, to achieve great things. This is what Apollo showed us, and we should look to that in this Chamber as we debate the issues of the day that will impact the generations to come.
Apollo won't be replicated, because you can't replicate Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins. They've become icons in American culture, exhibiting those uniquely American traits: boldness, courageousness, excellence. They, as individuals, were the finest in their fields. But as a crew, and as an extension of the NASA family that made Apollo such a success, and as representatives of this great Nation that sent them forth through the heavens, they became heroes worthy of the praise that will be offered over the next few days.
May the example they set as individuals drive us personally. May the success of the lessons of the Apollo program guide us selectively, and may the knowledge of what they achieved as a Nation inspire us to do bold things going forward.
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the Congressman from Georgia, Dr. Broun, the balance of our time.
Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as we discuss this bill about natural gas, I think we need to look much beyond that one issue. Republicans have introduced legislation called the American Energy Act. It's an all-of-the-above solution to our problems with dependence upon foreign oil, and, Mr. Speaker, we've got to stop that dependence upon foreign oil.
We're buying oil from countries that hate us, and they're utilizing our dollars to fight us, to kill our men and women in service. And the only way we are going to bring an end to that is to not only look to natural gas, but to look to nuclear energy, look to alternative sources of energy, look to things such as wind, solar, biomass. We need to find ways of having clean coal technology. I know a lot of people find that to be an oxymoron, but, in actuality, there is technology today that will lead to clean coal technology.
Mr. Speaker, we have to be good stewards of our environment. That tax-and-trade bill--some call it cap-and-trade. I call it tax-and-trade or cap-and-tax because it is about revenue--that's not going to do anything about our environment. All it's going to do is create more revenue for the Federal Government to pay for this ObamaCare plan that we are going to be debating in committees here in the House this week and possibly voting before we leave for the August break.
But, Mr. Speaker, America is suffering. We're suffering from high energy costs. Certainly, the gasoline prices have been lowered from $4, as it was not many months ago. Just recently I saw gas, as I drove to the airport this morning in Walnut Grove, Georgia, was $2.169, but that's still too high, and we're headed higher in the near future.
Mr. Speaker, it's extremely difficult for Georgia Power to get the permitting for the two new reactors that they want to put at plant Vogtle, just south of my district, just south of Augusta, Georgia. It's extremely difficult for people to do the research and development to look for alternative sources of fuel. Natural gas is being shut out as a means of powering our vehicles, powering many things that it could power.
Mr. Speaker, we need an all-of-the-above energy plan. I hope that the U.S. Senate will defeat the tax-and-trade bill that we passed here because it will be disastrous. It will raise the costs of all goods and services here in America. It will raise the cost of health care, medicines in the drug store, doctor bills, hospital bills. It will raise the cost of food. It will cost every single individual in this country more money, and I hope the American people will stand up and say ``no'' to the tax-and-trade bill that this House passed and that the Senate is considering, will consider this fall. I hope they'll stand up and say ``no'' to ObamaCare, which will increase the time it takes for people to get x rays and surgeries and the necessary medical evaluation and treatment that they need. Thus, people who have cancer will be denied the life-saving drugs that they so desperately need or the surgery that they need.
Mr. Speaker, we're heading down the wrong road in this country. This House is taking this country down the wrong road of higher deficits.
And I hear people on the other side blame President Bush for the deficits he's created, but President Bush's deficits are piker levels compared to the deficits that have been created by this Congress since this administration took over 6 months ago. This President has presented a budget that was passed by this House that will create more debt in the next 5 years than every President, including George Bush, from George W. Bush all the way back to George Washington, more deficit, more debt than has been created by every single President.
We cannot continue to spend our grandchildren's future. Our grandchildren are going to live at a lower standard of living than we do today because of this tremendous debt that we've created.
Mr. Speaker, it has to stop, and I hope the American people rise up and say ``no'' to ObamaCare. I hope they will stand up and say ``no'' to this tax-and-trade, tax-and-cap bill that the Senate's considering. I hope they will say ``no'' to a new stimulus package, nonstimulus bill that the President talks about that he wants to bring forward.
Mr. Speaker, we've got to stop spending the money of our children's future. It has to stop. It's outrageous, and the American people need to understand that they are the key to rising up and telling their Member of Congress in the House and the Senate ``no.'' ``No'' to cap-
and-trade, ``no'' to ObamaCare, ``no'' to any more stimulus, ``no'' to any more Wall Street bailout, ``no'' to taking over any more financial institutions, ``no'' to spend, spend, spend.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity. It never has worked. It was tried during the Great Depression, and it didn't work then. It's not going to work today. We seem to have elitists that think that they can do it better, but socialism never has worked, never will work, and it's time for the American people to stand up and say
``no'' to it.
Mr. Speaker, we need to have natural gas as an alternative source of fuel for our automobiles and buses and trucks. We need to have all these energy sources. We need the American Energy Act passed into law. We need to cut taxes on small business and leave dollars in their pockets so that they can create jobs, so they can buy inventory, so we can get our economy back on track.
Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are charged by the Democratic folks on the other side of being the Party of No, but it's actually the Democratic Party that's been the Party of No. We are, as Republicans, the Party of K-N-O-W. We know how to stimulate the economy. We know how to lower the cost of health care. We know how to fix the problem that we have with energy.
And, Mr. Speaker, it's time for the American people to stand up and say ``no'' to this steamroller of socialism being driven by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, fueled by Barack Obama, and say ``yes'' to the Republican alternatives that we desperately need, as a Nation, to fix the economy, to lower the cost of health care for all Americans, to get people back to work, and stop this killing jobs and killing our economy.
So the American people, Mr. Speaker, need to stand up and say ``no'' to the Democratic plan and ``yes'' to the Republican plan.
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, as we look to see how we can truly work together in the Chamber, I think that the legislation before us, H.R. 1622, directly addresses some of our concerns when it comes to energy in our great Nation. H.R. 1622 is a bipartisan piece of legislation that looks to see how we can come together and work together to be able to alleviate our dependence on foreign oil.
And, Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with my colleague that we have to look to diversity when it comes to energy, that we have to be good stewards of the environment, and that's why I stood up proudly to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
We talk about what we have to do to invest in our future, Mr. Speaker, and as we look out to future generations and how we as a Nation have to come together, how our leaders have to come together, how we have to work anywhere that we possibly can to be able to address these deep concerns, it's with honor that I come before you, Mr. Speaker, to be able to work on these issues as a new Member of Congress, as a Member of Congress that's ready to work, and as a Member of Congress that's ready to look at new ideas where we can come together.
H.R. 1622 is the continuation of a good idea on how we can continue to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Salazar). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1622, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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